EU advises against second jab of AstraZeneca vaccine

On May 21, 2021

European Union advises against second jab AstraZeneca vaccine for people who have had blood clots with low blood platelets after receiving the first, the Europe’s medicines regulator said on Friday.

The advice for healthcare professionals was provided by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as part of an ongoing review into rare, but severe blood clots possibly linked to inoculation after the shot.

The EMA has been looking into such clots in the abdomen and brain since March and has recommended that both vaccine labels carry a warning on the clotting issues while maintaining that the overall benefits outweighed any risks.

Both the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccine use different versions of a cold virus to deliver instructions for making coronavirus proteins into cells to produce an immune response.

“While blood clots with low blood platelets following vaccination are very rare.

“So they can receive prompt specialized medical treatment if needed,” the EMA said.

“people should be on guard for any signs of any blood clots or low platelets within three weeks of receiving the first shot of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.”

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford had no immediate comment.

A British study suggested that two doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine may be around 85% to 90% effective against symptomatic COVID-19.

Also a study found that a third booster dose of the vaccine could increase antibodies in people.

Kamila/Reuters